Emmys 2013: Behind-the-Scenes Photos From THR's Drama Showrunner Roundtable

Frank, Freewheeling Discussion

In the frank, freewheeling discussion, five showrunner veterans -- Alex Gansa, 52 (Homeland, Showtime); Aaron Sorkin, 51 (The Newsroom, HBO); Matthew Weiner, 47 (Mad Men, AMC); D.B. Weiss, 42 (Game of Thrones, HBO); Kevin Williamson, 48 (The Following, Fox); and one television newbie, Beau Willimon, 35 (House of Cards, Netflix) -- share their lingering insecurities about writing, the pain and pleasure of adapting source material, how they cope with unexpected plot twists and why being a control freak just might be the secret to their success.

The Immediacy of It

Sorkin, creator of Sports Night, The West Wing and The Newsroom, says of working in TV: "I love doing series television. I love the immediacy of it. If I were writing a screenplay and wrote a joke today and everything went perfectly, I would hear the laugh two years from now."

'Having It in Short Order'

"I’ll be sitting in a room in Santa Monica or Hollywood and write, '200 mounted riders, one line, ride across the ridge.' And then within three months, I will be in the beautiful north coast of the Irish countryside, and there will be 200 guys on horseback riding across the ridge -- the experience of seeing things in your head and then having it in short order," says Game of Thrones' Weiss.

Matthew Weiner

Says Mad Men showrunner Matthew Weiner: "I’m in season six now, and I’ve still not gotten used to the fact, after having struggled for a long time, that what I write will actually get shot."

Finding a Voice

Beau Willimon of House of Cards: "As corny as it sounds, each show has to find its own voice. The voice is way more powerful than the narrative mechanics of whatever you’re adapting. That’s what people actually connect with because that’s what the actors connect with, and really the only reason we exist is so that the actors can have something to do, because people like to watch actors."

Kevin Williamson

"Casting the writers room is like casting a show. You have all these great writers, but you don’t know if they’re going to fit," says Kevin Williamson of The Following.

Alex Gansa

Homeland showrunner Alex Gansa tells THR: "We didn’t know at the beginning that Brody and Carrie would spend time together. After seeing the dailies, the word 'chemistry' was flashing on the screen."

Beau Willimon

House of Cards' Beau Willimon, 35, on being a showrunner: "I don’t think I could have imagined how challenging it would be. The sheer titanic size of the effort. I mean, it’s a form of insanity. It’s the equivalent of making seven movies in one year, and for some folks twice that!"

Matthew Weiner

"There’s a certain point each season where I get to bed at night and literally think, 'OK, this is the part where the guy goes to sleep.' You’re outside of yourself like a kind of psychosis because you’re living in that world all the time," says Matthew Weiner, showrunner of AMC's Mad Men.

D.B. Weiss

Game of Thrones showrunner D.B. Weiss tells THR: "I think it was Steve Martin who compared the process of adaptation to a failed marriage. Everybody starts out in love and with the best of intentions, and you run into rocky waters, and you’re trying to make it work and you know it can work, but at a certain point, either amicably or otherwise, you realize that the source material and what you’re doing need to kind of stay apart."

Kevin Williamson

"I’ve worked with some really crazy people in my day. You kind of learn to tap dance with anybody. I don’t mind a personality dispute; I just want you to write a great script," says The Following showrunner Kevin Williamson.

Alex Gansa

Homeland showrunner Alex Gansa reveals: "We share a floor with New Girl, so when we’re in the room talking about how when a suicide vest goes off, the top of your head blows off but usually the head remains intact, they’re down the hall talking about Schmidt and whether or not you can break a penis."

Aaron Sorkin

"I left The West Wing after the fourth season. ... Larry David told me: 'Under no circumstances can you ever watch the show again. You’re going to be miserable,' " says Newsroom showrunner Aaron Sorkin.

Drama Showrunners

There was nary a tough topic left unexplored by the six drama writer-creators who gathered on a foggy April morning in downtown Los Angeles to chat about their craft on the eve of Emmy season.

No Horses Harmed

D.B. Weiss of Games of Thrones on violence in his HBO show: "When we killed a horse on Game of Thrones, people were not happy. But we didn’t actually kill a horse. No horses harmed!"

Working on Another Show

THR asked the showrunners what other show they would like to work on. Weiss said It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia; Gansa chose New Girl; Willimon selected Deadwood and The Wire; Sorkin chose Parks and Recreation or Girls; and Williamson also said Girls, or The West Wing.

Willimon on Robin Wright

"Robin is incredible in that she’s one of the few actors I’ve ever met who wants as few lines as possible because she knows what she can do between them," says Willimon of star Robin Wright. "You stick a camera on her face, and the layers that will come up if you give her enough to start with are way more powerful than any words you can put in her mouth."

Having a Laugh

From left: Sorkin, Weiss, Weiner and Willimon share a laugh during THR's drama showrunners photoshoot.

THR's Roundtables

This is the second of THR’s annual series of exclusive discussions with the year’s most compelling television talents. As awards season unfolds, look for roundtables with comedy actors, comedy actresses, comedy showrunners, drama actors and reality talent

Hollywood and Violence

"Shakespeare and the Greeks were way more violent and gory than anything that we're up to," says House of Cards' Beau Willimon. "I think it's interesting that people focus so much on physical violence and what they don't talk about is ideological violence. What makes Birth of a Nation so troubling? It's not the physical violence; it's the anti-Semitism and racism, which is way more destructive."